


Love only left me alone

by bobby_sunsetswerve



Series: And I use the pain 'cause it's part of me [2]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: 1990's, AU, Bobby is Not Trevor Wilson, Bobby | Trevor Wilson Defense Squad, Character Death, Found Family, Ghosts, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Multi, No beta we die like Sunset Curve, Platonic Soulmates, Polyamory, Post-Canon, References to Depression, Rose and Bobby friendship, Soulmates, Sunset Curve (Julie and The Phantoms), Sunset Curve has four members
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29214684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobby_sunsetswerve/pseuds/bobby_sunsetswerve
Summary: It was raining, and Luke was dead. Alex was dead. Reggie was dead. And yet by some curse, Bobby was still alive.--Or; Bobby's life after the deaths of Alex, Luke, and Reggie.
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Rose, Bobby | Trevor Wilson/Alex Mercer/Luke Patterson/Reggie Peters
Series: And I use the pain 'cause it's part of me [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2117193
Comments: 22
Kudos: 97





	1. The raging aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who read, commented, and left a kudos on my other fic 'But I Think I'm Lost Without You'. It's inspired me to write this fic, which will mostly be a Bobby-Centric.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was raining, and Luke was dead. Alex was dead. Reggie was dead. And yet by some curse, Bobby was still alive. 
> 
> \-- 
> 
> Or; Bobby's life for the first six months after his boys die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, second for in my series. Like before, I don't really have a set schedule for posting, so just subscribe to keep an eye out. 
> 
> Some chapter note for you:
> 
> 1) There is some talk of depression and suicidal actions so please be careful if this is something that may be sensitive for you. 
> 
> 2) I don't actually know much about funerals, I've only ever been to one so sorry if my description is inaccurate.
> 
> 3) I can't say I've ever had this sort of loss or depression affect my life so I'm really writing from what I've read or watched on TV before. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy :)

**July 28, 1995**

It was raining.

Bobby thought that was fitting for the setting of today’s events. There was an umbrella above him, shielding him from the drizzling water droplets. He didn’t know how an umbrella was above his head, he certainly didn’t have the strength to hold it up. 

It wasn’t until he turned his head a little to the left that he saw the holder of the umbrella, Rose, standing there in a nice black dress, her expression matching the rest of the black-clad gatherers. Sad and mournful. 

Bobby turned his attention back to the front, barely aware of the cold wind biting at the skin on his cheeks. 

It was raining, and Luke was dead. Alex was dead. Reggie was dead. And yet by some curse, Bobby was still alive. 

Bobby was alive to stare down at Luke’s casket as he was lowered into the ground, forever sleeping and wearing a black suit he would have hated. 

The thought made Bobby want to cry, and laugh, and laughing was a thing that Bobby wasn’t doing much of these days. Because Luke hated anything with sleeves with a passion that rivaled his passion for music, and yet, his parents had chosen a suit for his resting outfit, showing how much they really didn’t know their son. 

That was unfair, Bobby thought, glancing over at the weeping parents, each holding the other up with their last bit of strength. They did try to understand their son, his passions, and dreams but they just couldn’t quite get there. 

With a resounding thunk, Luke was finally lowered into the ground. Bobby gazed at the large headstone overlooking the hole, reading, 

_Luke Mitchell Patterson_  
_Beloved Son and Friend_  
_13 August 1977 – 22 July 1995_

Bobby hated that he even had to look at it, and he hated more that he wasn’t being lowered into the ground with him. 

For right now, Bobby had no tears to cry. He’s been non-stop crying since the police had pulled him aside in the Orpheum to inform him that his best friends had just died. His eyes were rubbed red and his throat was tender from the sobbing and the screaming. It’d been like that for the last six days. 

He’ll never get the sight out of his head, ever. In the years that he’d know him, he’d never seen Luke as still as he was lying on that cold metal table, a sheet over his body. Or Reggie, his tan giving way to a paleness that only death can give. And Alex, his eyes closed, chest still and never moving. The sight of his three boys, lying there in that morgue will forever be in his nightmares. 

Luke’s funeral was the last. 

He’d already attended Reggie’s minimalistic funeral that his parents had organized, and even then, they’d barely stopped sniping at each other, blaming the other, enough to mourn their only son. 

Alex’s had been an uncomfortable affair, his dad standing stiffly beside his crying mother, and what’s worse, they’d brought their community priest to perform the ceremony, the same one they’d taken Alex to for his ‘therapy’. 

They made him sick, the lot of them and Rose’s hand on his arm had barely stopped him from tossing curses at them, but he couldn’t do that to Alex, he deserved better than a screaming match at his funeral. 

He hadn’t been able to go into the studio since the second night, where he’d walked in there, tears streaming down his face and a hole where his heart should be. After standing in the garage for a minute, he’d spotted Alex’s drums, and Reggie’s base, Luke’s guitars, and suddenly all he could feel was rage. Blinding rage, at life, at the boys for eating those _damned_ hotdogs in the first place, at himself for not going with them, at everything. 

He couldn’t remember those few minutes after blacking out, all he can remember is coming too with blood dripping down his split knuckles and his throat raspy and sore. His grandmother later told him he’d been wailing, it had sounded to her like he was dying. 

He felt dead, he wanted to tell her, though he knew even in his current mindset that that would scare her, so he didn’t say anything, letting her wrap his split knuckles he’d hurt punching the wall. 

Bobby snaps out of his thoughts slowly, like wading through syrup, at the feeling of Rose’s hand on his forearm. He looks around to realize the service was over, the mourners splitting up to go their own ways. 

That was okay, he’d gone through Reggie and Alex’s funerals in a daze too, missing most of the actual service in favor of the dark thoughts clouding his mind. 

“Bobby, it’s time to go.” He hears Rose murmur softly as he stands there, staring at Luke’s final resting place. He’s only a few rows down from Reggie, but Alex is down at the back of the cemetery, away from his boys. 

“Yeah,” Bobby croaks, giving one last look to the headstone and Luke’s crying parents before turning and walking away with Rose. There’s nothing he can do for them now, not with the hollowed feeling forever in his chest. 

**November 17, 1995**

Bobby felt the wind on his face, a harsh blow that made him rock a little where he was standing. He swallowed hard, shifting his weight, testing the gravity. 

He stands there for a few more minutes, just watching the sky turn dark. 

He’d been waiting for the pain, the heartbreak of losing someone all over again to hit him when his grandmother finally passed away, but he’d already been dead inside for months at this point, he can hardly feel loss anymore.

He vaguely hears the sound of the door to the roof slamming open, but he doesn’t flinch, just continues standing there, watching LA as it thrives at night. The bright lights of the Orpheum sign just to his left shine bright but he ignores it as best he can. 

The tips of his black boots toe the edge of the roof, but he doesn’t move any further right now. 

“Get down Bobby.” He hears her behind him, though he doesn’t turn to face her just yet. 

“Give me a minute.” Bobby replies, though he’d be surprised if she could hear him over the roaring wind. 

“Now, Bobby.” Rose’s voice is firm, but still shaking slightly. “Get the fuck down, I mean it.” 

“Hold on.” He whispers into the wind, tilting his head and breathing in deeply. 

“Bobby, please. _Please_. Just get down.” Rose pleads, her voice cracking audibly. “Please don’t let what happened to you happen to me.”

And if he feels the guilt cracking in his chest, and he sits down on the ledge instead of freefalling like he wants to, well that’s his business. 

“I feel numb. I just feel numb all the time and if I don’t feel numb then all I feel is pain. I have this hole, in my heart where they used to be and I don’t…I don’t know how to live with it.” Bobby tells Rose, not even trying to hide his cracking voice. 

The tears are coming at this point, salty streams down his face. “I loved them, Rose.” He croaks as she comes to stand directly behind him, putting her shaking hands on his shoulders. “I loved them and now they’re gone.”

“I know.” She whispers, wrapping her arms around him from behind. 

“No, I _loved_ them Rose, like you love Ray.” He spins around to face her, seeing her face turn surprised then sad again. 

“Oh, Bobby.” She sighs sadly, clutching his hand firmly. 

“I just…don’t know what to do now.” Bobby sniffles, swallowing harshly. 

“You live. And if you can’t do it for you, then you do it for them, because they didn’t get the choice and that wasn’t fair.” Rose professes, her voice strong and passionate. “You do it for them.”

Bobby looks up at her, tears streaming down his face. She brings her hand up to cup his face, wiping the tears away softly. “I don’t know how to do this without them, Rose. I can’t even remember what my life was before them.”

“So I’ll help you, like you always helped them.” She promises. 

She rests her forehead against his, holding him as he cries, cries for the boys he loved, who lost their lives, and for the life they’ll never get to have. 

**January 5, 1996**

Bobby hadn’t intended to actually do anything with the lyrics, after all, the boys weren’t exactly around to listen to any songs he wrote for them, but he felt like recording the songs was the right step. 

He’d spent weeks at this point, writing songs for his boys, the final goodbye they never got. He’d first wrote ‘Stand Tall’ with Rose, recording that together with the basic equipment they each had. 

Then he moved on to write ‘Before You Go’ for Alex, then ‘Ghost of You’ for Luke, and finally ‘Youth’ for Reggie. He’d recorded each of those songs in a three day period. 

But, he was stuck on the last one. He had half-finished lyrics and a draft for the melody but halfway through starting the song, he’d become overwhelmed. Because all of a sudden, it felt all too real. 

Since then, he’d hit a block. Words wouldn’t flow like before, and he couldn’t hear melodies like whispers in his mind. He wanted this last song to be for them. His goodbye to them. 

Without conscious thought, he’d stood up from the couch in Rose and Ray’s shared house, moving to the grand piano in the corner of the living room. He sat down at the bench, opening the lid and hovering his fingers over the keys. 

Bobby noticed his fingers trembling and withdrew them from the keys, clutching them to his chest. 

"Come on Bobby, just do it." He murmurs into the silence.

He takes a deep breath, moving his hands over the keys again. Closing his eyes, and relaxing his body, Bobby lets his fingers start to dance across the keys. Almost subconsciously, like he already knew what to play, he starts playing a song. 

_“So I will keep you next to me, day and night, here until the day I die, I’ll be living one life for the four of us. I will be the best of me, always keep you next to me, I’ll be living one life for the four of us,”_ Bobby sings the chorus he’d already worked on. 

_“Even when I’m on my own, I know I won’t be alone, tattooed on my heart are the words of your favorite songs, I know you’ll be looking down, swear I’m gonna make you proud, I’ll be living one life for the four of us,”_ He stops playing, his fingers releasing the keys. 

Bobby startles when a tear drops down onto one of the keys, reaching up to wipe it away. He sniffles for a moment, before a smile tugs at his lips. 

Tilting his head to the roof, he smiles a bit wider, tears trickling down the sides of his face. “I’m doing it boys.”

So for the rest of the afternoon, till he hears Ray come through the front door after work, he works on the song, completing the lyrics and adding more instrumental into the piano melody he’d worked out. 

And after completing the song, he records it, adding it to the CD he’s making for the boys. 

Playing the last piano chord, he sits silently for a second before opening his mouth to speak, resting his forearms against the closed lid of the piano. “It’s been six months,” He speaks into the mic, sighing deeply, trying to tell the truth even though it hurts. “and it’s been hell. Every day I hurt, and I just don’t want to hurt anymore.” 

“But I made a promise to myself, for you guys, that I would live on for you. So all this is for you, I’ll live, for the four of us because it’s not fair…” His voice shakes and he cuts off. “you didn’t get to live your lives, so I will for you.”

He’s crying at this point, but he keeps going because he’d got to finish this message, for himself at least. “I love you, each of you, so much. Goodbye…” 

And as the darkness of the night bleeds in through the windows, he feels light for the first time in six months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't already, you should go read the first fic of this series, it's called 'But I Think I'm Lost Without You'. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading my fic, if you like it, don't forget to leave a comment or a kudos. :)


	2. The Reaper claims

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He’d found a life with Rose and Ray, definitely not the one he wanted and would have preferred with his boys, but still a good life. 
> 
> Sitting with Rose as he drove them back to their house after her band practice, Bobby reflects on how much his life has been changed the last three years. 
> 
> \--
> 
> Or; Bobby's life comes to a sad and abrupt end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, here's a chapter. 
> 
> Some chapter notes for you:
> 
> 1) I am in no way, shape, or form a medical professional so if the medical speak in this is wrong then I'm sorry. 
> 
> 2) There are some references to depression and suicide, if this is sensetive for you then please be careful. 
> 
> 3) If you'd like to read Bobby's letter to Rose with a little extra hurt, listen to 'Goodbye' by John Paesano from 4:30-7:38 like I did while writing this. It's the song from the movie where the letter's from. 
> 
> 4) For those that don't know, the letter from Bobby to Rose is taken from the movie 'Maze Runner, The Death Cure' and the scene is where Thomas reads Newts note. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy :)

**July 17, 1997**

Bobby hadn’t exactly had it easy the last couple years, in fact his life has been immensely difficult and trying most days. But it was getting better. 

He still had that gaping hole in his chest where his boys used to be which will forever be there, and he was never going to get used to that. He still missed them every day, and he thought about them all the time, but he was living his life for them, like he promised he would. 

His depression still snuck up on him every once in a while, but it wasn’t that all consuming depression like it had been in that year after the boys died. He always feared falling back into that feeling, the one where he wanted to die with his band, because now he had something to live for.

He had a job, just a small one at a café near His, Ray, and Rose's tiny house, and he was still playing music every once in a while, never outside of his house though, that just wasn’t for him anymore. 

And he hadn’t been in a relationship with anyone in the last three years. 

He couldn’t. Not that he’d ever confessed or actually dated Alex, Luke or Reggie, but he just couldn’t do that to them. He still loved them with his entire being and to even think about getting in a relationship with anyone else felt like a betrayal to their memory and the bond they had. 

He’d made a few new friends though. Rose had become like his lifeline, his saviour. She took him in, took care of him and gave him friendship when he thought he had lost everything. And with Rose came Ray, her long-term boyfriend. Ray had taken to his presence like a duck to water. 

He enjoyed spending time with Bobby, they each liked art and playing games together on Ray’s PlayStation console, and sometimes, Bobby even came to work with Ray when he had bigger photography clients than normal, tagging along as his armature assistant. 

He’d found a life with Rose and Ray, definitely not the one he wanted and would have preferred with his boys, but still a good life. 

Sitting with Rose as he drove them back to their house after her band practice, Bobby reflects on how much his life has been changed the last three years. 

“So, how were we?” Rose snaps him out of his thoughts. “Do you think we’ll be ready for the gig next week?” 

Bobby glances over at her briefly in the passenger seat before looking back to the road. “Of course you are, you know you are.” Bobby huffs a laugh. “The band’s doing great, you guys are gonna kill it.” 

As usual, Bobby ignores the little pangs of hurt and envy in his chest when talking about Rose’s band. These days, everything reminds him of Alex, Luke and Reggie but Rose’s band, Rose and the Petal Pushers do remind Bobby a lot of his band, and how they were going to be legends which just leads right back to the night of the Orpheum. 

“Yeah, I know, I just like to hear you say it.” Rose teases, pinching his side lightly and smiling lightly. 

“Hey, hands off,” Bobby yelps, turning into a laugh. “No pinching the driver.” 

Rose laughs, turning to face him. “You’re such a ba-Bobby!” Her voice goes from amused to fearful. 

The lights blind Bobby first, and then he sees it. The car in their lane speeding towards them. Bobby doesn’t think, just reacts before the car can hit them head on. He jerks the wheel to the left just in time for the car to hit his driver’s side door with a ground shaking crash. 

Bobby’s whole-body jerks in his seat, his head smacking harshly against the glass, and he can hear Rose screaming, though in fear or pain he can’t tell, and then the car is airborne. 

The world feels like it’s slowed down, and Bobby’s head is throbbing, and his eyes keep closing but he’s still awake enough to see the world go upside down as their car rolls, before it slides to a final stop with a loud screech, the sky where the ground should be. 

Bobby’s blinking in and out of consciousness, his mind blank for everything except pain, because his body feels like it’s been lit on fire. His body which is suspended upside down in his seat. 

“-obby. Bobby!” Bobby slowly blinks, turning his head to look at Rose, who’s shouting his name, shaking him urgently with blood rushing down the side of her face. “Bobby, stay with me!” He can hear her shout, though with the blood rushing to his head and the pain in his body, he can’t do much to stop the darkness creeping in along his vision. 

Bobbly blinks one last time before he feels his eyes flutter shut, blacking out. Though not before he gets to hear Rose’s voice, loud and shaking. “Bobby! Help, someone help! Please!”

And then it’s quiet. 

**July 18, 1997**

Bobby hated hospitals. 

This wasn’t a hatred build on bad childhood experiences but rather the one horrible experience as a 17-year-old. 

The sight of his dead best friends, the boys he loved, had never left him since that god awful night three years ago, and to be here again, made him want to leave, no matter the injuries that would prevent him to do so. 

Lying in the lumpy bed, on the strongest pain medication and body broken, Bobby tries to relax as Rose stands beside his bed, cast on her arm and stitches in her temple. She stands, silent and tense. 

She’d been that way since coming in the room an hour ago, not having been able to see him this morning since he’d been unconscious from his concussion and then under for his surgery. 

Ray glances nervously at his girlfriend before turning to Bobby, trying for a wobbly smile. “What’d the doctors say Bobs?” He asks, sitting in the chair next to the bed. 

Bobby’s stare leaves Rose to turn and face Ray. The man had been a bundle of nerves since coming into the room. 

“I was concussed, and my leg’s broken.” Bobby starts, patting the big white cast on his left leg. “I had some internal bleeding or whatever and my ribs are bruised but I’m fine for now.” He finished, smiling as reassuringly as he could at Ray. 

“Fine?” He hears a scoff from the other side of him and he turns to face Rose, whose face was now screwed up in anger. “You are not fine, Bobby, you almost died. What the hell were you thinking?” She seethes, almost growling out the words. 

Bobby looks between Ray on his right, whose head in now in his hands, and Rose on his left, shaking with anger.

“What do you mean?” Bobby asks slowly, like one would approach a wild animal. 

“You turned the car, Bobby. You put yourself in the line of fire, and you almost died.” Rose almost shouts, shaking. “ _I thought you died, Bobby_. Why the hell would you do that? Were you trying to die?” 

He looks a little closer and suddenly understands a little more. She’s angry, for sure, but she’s mostly afraid, and hurt, and _guilty_. All he wants in this moment is to be able to get up and hug her, reassure her. 

“This isn’t me being suicidal, Rose. This is me being happy you get to live. I turned the car to protect you, so you wouldn’t get hit.” Bobby explains quietly, looking her in the eyes. 

“That’s not your job.” Rose snaps, her eyes tearing up as her hands shake. “You aren’t supposed to protect me, you could have died because of it.” Her voice cracks on the last word and she turns, storming out of the room.

“Rose!” Bobby shouts, trying to force himself up. His left side flares with burning pain before he gets far, and he falls back down onto the bed watching the door hopelessly. 

“It’s okay, I’ll go get her. She’s just upset, she’ll calm down.” Ray reassures, standing and moving to the door, though he pauses and turns to look at Bobby. “Thank you, Bobby.” He smiles, then turns and walks out as well. 

Bobby stares up at the white ceiling, sighing deeply. Yeah, he hates hospitals alright. 

**July 19, 1997**

Turns out Ray couldn’t get Rose back, at least not in time anyway. 

She’d been upset since yesterday, and while Bobby understood why, he still wished to see her, because as it turns out, he was dying and he might not get to say goodbye, and he didn’t want that for her, for them. 

The doctors, _brilliant_ as they are, managed to miss his broken not bruised ribs and now he’s slowly dying because his lung’s been punctured. If the doctors had managed to find it earlier, he would have had a fighting change, but the tear in his lung is slowly getting bigger any time he so much as shifts, and he's dying. 

Turning to the nurse checking his vitals, he requests an envelope, some paper and a pen before she leaves. She nods, smiling softly at him before leaving, returning minutes later with his requested items. 

Bringing the rolling tray table closer, he slowly and painfully pushes himself into sitting position. Gently placing a hand on his left side, he tries catching his breath. 

After sorting his breathing out, he pulls the tray table closer to him, writing Rose’s name on the envelope. 

He can’t do much more other than start the first paragraph of the letter before his eyes tear up, and he drops the pen, his heart pained. 

_Dear Rose,_

_This is the first letter I can remember writing, well at least that I know of. But even if it’s not my first, it’s likely to be my last._

Bobby sniffles, covering his mouth with his hand to try and hold in his cries. Taking a deep breath before picking up the pen again, he tries to think of what he would want to say to her, to comfort her, to reassure her. And with that thought in mind, he writes. 

_I want you to know that I’m not scared. Well, not of dying anyway, it’s…more forgetting. It’s losing myself to this depression, that’s what scares me._

_So every night I’ve been saying their names out loud. Alex. Reggie. Luke. And I just repeat them over and over like a prayer. And it…it all comes flooding back. Just the little things like the way the sun used to hit the studio window at that perfect moment right before it slips behind the trees. And I remember the sound of Luke’s laugh,_

Bobby huffs a laugh, savouring the memory fondly. 

_I never thought I’d miss that so much. I remember being hugged by Alex and sitting on the beach watching the sunset with Reggie._

_And I remember you. I remember the first time I met you, you held me as my heart shattered and died with my best friends. And from that moment you saved me, I knew I would follow you anywhere. And I have._

Bobby smiles through the tears, his memories of Rose lighting him up. Her warmth, her compassion, her friendship. And he mourns for her, for what she’s going to have to go through. 

But he can’t bring himself to regret it, because it means she’s not the one slowly dying right now. 

_If I had to do the crash all over again, I would. And I wouldn’t change a thing. And my hope for you is that looking back years from now, you’ll be able to say the same. The futures in your hands now Rosie. And I know you’ll find a way to live. You always have. Take care of Ray for me, and take care of yourself. You deserve to be happy._

Bobby writes, things he wished he would have got to hear three years ago. The goodbye he and his boys never got. 

_Thank you for being my friend. Goodbye Rose._

_Bobby._

Smiling softly, though with a heavy heart, Bobby puts the letter into the envelope. After calling his nurse back, he pulls the only ring on his hands off, holding it gingerly as the memory of getting it floods him, rubbing the surface with his thumb gently. 

When the nurse come into the room, he hands her the ring and envelope. “When Rose comes back, if I’m…” he trails, and her face turns sad and sympathetic. “Please give these to her for me.” He pleads, getting a promise in return. 

Settling back into his pillows, Bobby relaxes, and allows his eyes to fall shut. 

What feels like moments later, he feels someone softly take his hand in theirs. His mind feels sluggish and slow, and his body hurts more than he remembers. And his eyes won’t open. 

He can hear a sniffle, and a soft voice humming gently. It soothes his mind and relaxes his body slightly. 

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here, _hermano_ , but I'm here now.” He hears the soft voice whisper. _Rose_ , his slow brain supplies, and he feels peaceful for the first time in days. 

“It’s okay Bobby,” Rose whimpers, crying quietly. “I’ll be okay. I love you so much, and I’m so thankful for the time we had together.” 

Bobby wants to comfort her, wants to hug her and whisper soft reassurances in her ear, but his eyes won’t open, and his body won’t move. His mind is starting to fade out when he hears her last words. 

“You can let go now; you can be free.” She whispers, softly stroking his hair back, kissing it softly. “Go be with your boys, and tell them hi for me.”

And there is nothing but the fading sound of a flatline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basic google translate says 'Hermano' means brother or sibling. 
> 
> For those still here, thank you so much for reading. 
> 
> Please leave a comment or a kudos if you can. :)


	3. Onwards a ghost must go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m dead.” He states to the empty hallway, “I’m dead.” He repeats, his chest starting to heave as the numbness disappears, panic left in its place. 
> 
> \--
> 
> Or; Bobby dies and discovers the world of the living dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a while to write. I was a little confused as to how I would write Bobby's experience as a ghost because in the show, the boys kinda just processed it and moved straight on so sorry if it's not that good. 
> 
> Some chapter notes for you: 
> 
> 1) The reason Caleb isn't super interested in having Bobby for his club is because a. he doesn't perform anymore and b. he wasn't a threat to Caleb because he can't be seen like the boys can when they play with Julie. (Well, not yet (; )
> 
> 2\. I got kinda lazy with the whole Other Side of Hollywood number so it's only in little parts.

**July 20, 1997**

Bobby wakes up standing in an empty hospital corridor. Spinning around in a circle, looking at his surrounding, he feels a shiver run down his spine. 

He remembers this corridor; it was the setting of a lot of his nightmares. Walking a few steps down, towards two double doors, Bobby stares at the plaque next to the doors reading ‘Morgue’. 

He doesn’t go in, doesn’t want to but a sudden realisation washes over him and he looks down at himself. He’s wearing the same grey sweatpants and plain black shirt from when Rose and Ray brought him some clothes, but he’s not got a cast on his leg and his body doesn’t hurt like it did after the crash. 

Bringing a hesitant hand up, Bobby tries to rest his hand on the morgue door, only for it to phase through the door like it wasn’t even there. Gasping and jumping back, Bobby holds his hand to his chest where his heart no longer beats. 

“I’m dead.” He states to the empty hallway, “I’m dead.” He repeats, his chest starting to heave as the numbness disappears, panic left in its place. 

“When did I…” Bobby trails off confusedly, still looking around before memories hit him. The crash. The hospital. Ray. Rose. _“Rose.”_ Bobby gasps, turning and running towards the exit. 

Stumbling through the doors of the hospital, Bobby gasps into the night air. He turns to look at someone to his left just as they walk through him, leaving him shivering and tripping backwards, eyes widening in shock. 

The shock quickly runs out as his thoughts go back to Rose and her wellbeing. While thinking of Rose, and where she’d be, Bobby feels a pull in his gut and next thing he knows, he’s standing in living room of his, well, Rose and Ray’s house now. 

Hearing shuttering breaths, Bobby turns to the couch, and there they are. Rose, sobbing and gasping with mascara tracks down her face, and Ray, holding her with silent tears falling down his own face. They look crushed, they look broken. 

Bobby startles as a tear rolls down his cheek, landing on the carpet beneath his feet, going unseen by the other two. 

Falling to his knees in front of the couch by their feet, Bobby tries to grasp their hands, pull them into a hug. He lets out a desperate scream through his teeth when he keeps phasing through them, crying and shaking. 

“I’m here, I’m here.” He keeps repeating almost like they can hear him. They can’t. “I’m okay. I’m okay Rose.” 

Instead, Rose sobs louder, clutching Ray’s arms painfully. “He’s gone. He’s gone.” She gasps through her tears. 

Bobby’s sobbing now, echoing her pain. “No, Rose, I’m right here. Just look at me, please.” He pleads hopelessly, still trying to hold her. 

Stumbling backwards away from them, shaking and gripping his hair tightly. “No, no, no.” He gasps, looking one last time before following that tug in his gut, which leads him to the beach near Reggie’s house. 

Stumbling and falling into the sand, he curls into himself, sobbing loudly and painfully. 

He hadn’t expected it to hurt this much, he knew it would, knew what was going to happen when he wrote that letter to Rose but to actually feel it was another matter entirely. 

He sits there in the sand for a while, just sobbing out his feelings. 

Eventually, he calms down enough to sit up, just watching the waves and the people on the beach. 

After half an hour of this, he stands up, sniffling and wiping his face. Walking along the sidewalk, he glances at the Peter’s old house, at the ‘For Sale’ sign that had been there for a year now. Reggie’s parents had divorced and left LA about 2 years after Reggie had died. 

Sparing one last glace, he keeps walking but then comes to an abrupt stop. 

Reggie. 

Reggie’s dead. Alex and Luke are also dead. Bobby is now dead, and from the limited knowledge and experience he’s had, he’s gathered that he’s now a ghost. 

Does this mean his boys are ghosts as well? Have they been wandering the streets of LA unseen; have they been watching over him?

Bobby unexpectedly feels a smile tug at his lips, hope filling his chest with its warmth. But where would he find them? Where would three teenage ghost’s go?

With a tug of his gut, he lands in front of the big white garage doors. 

He knew the house and garage was unoccupied, had been that way since the death of his grandparents. He hadn’t had the heart to sell the house, his childhood home and the garage where he and his boys practiced. 

Though he had left the house in Rose’s name, which she’ll find out once his last will and testament is read. 

Walking up to the doors, he hesitates, taking a deep breath before walking through the doors.

To his extreme disappointment, the studio is filled with boxes, all Sunset Curve’s instruments and a layer of dust but no ghost boys. 

Remembering they might not have wanted to live in a musty garage, Bobby goes up to the house, finding it in the same neglected state the garage had been in. It was dusty, with furniture covered by sheets and boxes all over. 

After looking all around the house, and finding nothing, Bobby spends the rest of the day looking all around LA for the boys, at their old houses, places they liked to visit, places they liked to preform, even the school. 

Finding nothing, Bobby poofs back into the garage, just falling to his knees as the realisation that the boys may not be ghosts hits him. The tears start falling, silent and slow down his cheeks. 

Why was he the only one left? Why wasn't he allowed to be happy? It’s like losing them all over again. 

Hope, Bobby decides, is a horrid bitch.

Bobby lies down on the floor of the garage, on the old mat, curling his arms around himself as the loneliness settles into his bones like an old friend. 

**July 25, 1997**

Walking down the boardwalk calms him down. 

It had become something of a routine since the boys died, he used to walk the boardwalk when he felt particularly bad, or if the grief became too much and started to consume him, or even if he just couldn’t sleep. 

He’d been a ghost for five days, and already he was dreading an eternity of it. Of being alone, and invisible. 

He could still feel the sea breeze blowing through his hair, but he could no longer feel the beating of his heart, or the warmth of his own body. He was just…there. Almost, but not quite. 

The feeling of people walking through him still makes him shiver, and so he avoids this, ducking out of the way of the walking people and sitting down on a lone bench, just watching the ocean and the falling sun. 

He thinks of his boys, as he often does. 

Of the way Alex’s hands felt holding him, their warmth as they clutched his hips through his shirt, tucking him against his pink sweatshirt clad chest. Of the way Reggie smiled, bright and big, and how he always made sure to let Bobby know how much he appreciated him. Of Luke’s beautiful blue eyes, wild and passionate and the way he sung, like he was born to perform. 

Bobby only has a few regrets from his life, and one of those was that he never told the boys how he felt about them, how he loved them more than he loved himself, and the way he couldn’t live without them, and how he wished he could kiss them, hold them, love them. 

Watching the way the sun starts to set around him, Bobby wishes for nothing else in this world aside for his boys to be here with him, holding him close. 

Hearing a joyful shout, Bobby turns from the sunset and his musings to watch a guy on a skateboard hurdle down the boardwalk, laughing and whooping as he and his skateboard phases through people. 

Bobby stands up, transfixed on the sight of this guy as he glides through all these people. As the guy moves to skate past him, he catches sight of Bobby watching him, eyes wide and mouth open and comes to an abrupt stop in front of him. 

“You seem a little shocked, I’m gonna say you’re new to this ghost thing, huh?” He huffs, kicking his board up and smiling broadly. 

It snaps Bobby out of his shock, and he relaxes his tense form. “What gave me away?” He asks rhetorically, though he smiles a little. 

The guy laughs, reaching to take his helmet off as well. “Oh, just the wide eyes and gaping mouth.” He answers just as sarcastically, though his smile dims that a little. 

“Yeah, sorry but I hadn’t seen any other ghosts around, figured I was the only one.” Bobby explains, ignoring the remaining hurt at the reminder and runs a hand through his hair. 

“Nah, there’s a lot of us.” The guy says, reaching his hand out. “I’m Willie.” He introduces himself, face soft and relaxed. 

After a second hesitation, Bobby reaches forward, shaking his hand. “Bobby.” 

They shake hands, smiling at each other before moving to sit on the bench Bobby previously vacated. 

Willie is pretty to look at, Bobby thinks, has long brown hair and a soft smile, though his mind instantly goes back to Luke’s soft curly brown hair, and Alex’s soft smile, and Reggie’s pretty face and he smiles internally. He may never get to see them again, but he’d still never do that to them. 

“So, exactly how new are you at this?” Willie asks, bringing his legs up on the bench and resting his forearms on his knees, turning to look at Bobby. 

“Only five days.” Bobby replies, turning away from Willie’s face and back to the ocean. “Car accident.” He tells him before he has a chance to ask. 

Willie winces, “Oh, me too. I was hit by a car,” He admits, holding up his board. “Skating accident.” 

“That sucks, man.” Bobby sympathises, rubbing his side where his ribs broke. 

“Yeah,” Willie sighs, before changing the subject and they spend the rest of the hour talking, introducing themselves, while Willie teaches him some ghost tricks. 

So Bobby smiles as the sunset fades around them, because the loneliness isn’t as crushing anymore. 

**June 1, 1997**

Willie is nice, he’s fun and kind and he’s entirely new. Bobby finds it slightly refreshing to have someone want to be his friend who isn’t connected to the boys and what had happened. 

Now he loves Rose and adored their friendship, and he wouldn’t change their time together for a thing, but she knew what had happened to him. And sometimes she treated him like him like he was fragile, like he could explode at any minute. 

And with Willie, it was a refreshing change. Of course, Willie didn’t know anything about that part of his life, so he didn’t have to worry about being handled with kid gloves or receiving looks of pity. 

They’d become some form of friends since that day on the boardwalk, and Bobby enjoys Willie’s company. Which is why, at this moment, he was dressed a little more nicely than normal, in some black ripped jeans and one of his nicer button up shirts, with one of Reggie’s leather jackets he’d found in the garage. 

Walking down the grand staircase in the ghost club Willie worked at, Bobby tries not to feel overwhelmed. The place is grand and flashy, not at all his style. 

Reaching the bottom, he finds Willie stood waiting for him, hair done up in a bun and wearing a button up with a blazer and some shorts. Bobby wants to laugh at the weird combination but finds it fits Willie’s style. 

“Hey, you found the place.” Willie smiles, leading him over to a table near the front of the stage. “You’re just in time for the performance.” 

Like it was timed, the lights go dark around them, though still lighting up the stage. Bobby watched, transfixed at the man floating about the stage. He’s an extravagant man, wearing a suit of purple, with a black and purple cape around his shoulder and a blingy cane. 

“Welcome,” he announced with a flick of his cape. “to the party of your dreams.”

The crowd around them cheers, whooping and clapping. Bobby gets the feeling this is a regular crowd. 

“From the Egyptians, to the Druids, to the person sitting next to you, we’ve all wondered…where do we go, when that final light is snuffed out?” He drawls, as the band starts playing an upbeat tune. 

“Well, allow me to show you.” The floating man concluded before he started to sing. 

_“Let me introduce myself, we got some time to kill, consider me the pearly gates to your new favourite thrills, we could go make history or you could rest in peace, but here there ain’t no mystery, ‘cause on the other side we live like kings…”_

The rest of the song plays, complete with a house band, flashy dancers and an extravagant musician-magician. Bobby glances at Willie next to him who’s having the time of his life, bobbing and clapping along to the music. His energy make’s Bobby clap and bop with him. 

_“Ain’t it the best?”_ The music cuts off with a flourish before a quick drumbeat finishes it off. _“Long live the dead.”_

With a flourish of his cape, the front man disappears, leaving the crowd gasping and clapping. 

Clapping along, Bobby turns to Willie. “Who is that?” 

“Oh, that’s Caleb. Caleb Covington. He owns the club.” Willie tells him, looking energized and happy. 

“He’s got a ghost club with a ghost band?” Bobby huffs rhetorically, smiling at the shock of it. 

“And always looking for more ghosts to join.” Bobby hears a deep voice behind him, turning to see Caleb standing at his and Willie’s table, now wearing a big purple top hat. 

“Oh, hi. That was a great performance.” Bobby compliments, seeing the other man smile in pride. “But I don’t play music.” He rebuffs Caleb’s offer. 

“Oh?” He questions, turning to a blushing Willie. “Willie tells me you play the many instruments, and you can sing.” 

“I used to.” Bobby tells Willie and Caleb, almost shivering under the older man’s gaze. “But I don’t play in public anymore, not since 1995.” 

“And why would that be?” He queried, sounding curious but still unconvinced. Bobby can see Willie also looks intrigued, biting his lip and looking between the two. 

“I was in a band, with three of my best friends.” Bobby says around the lump in his throat. “They all died the night we were supposed to perform our big break. I stopped performing after that.” 

“Oh.” Caleb tuts pitifully, frowning like he’s hurt. Bobby can tell he’s not fully sincere though. Willie’s frowning sadly behind him, looking woeful on his behalf. 

“I’m so sorry, that’s horrible,” Willie apologises, still frowning. Bobby smiles at his compassion, nodding his thanks. 

“Thank you for the invitation but I can’t perform.” Bobby turns to Caleb, frowning like he’s sad at the thought. 

Caleb waves a hand, dismissing his words. “Oh, that’s okay. Anyway, enjoy the rest of the show boys.” He gets up with a flourish, and Bobby spends the rest of the night with Willie at the club. 

It nice, Bobby thinks, dancing through the night next to Willie, having fun like this. He hadn’t felt like this in a long, long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you still here, thank you so much for reading. 
> 
> Please leave a comment or a kudos if you like this fic :)


	4. Darling just hold on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey Willie,” Bobby answers, closing his eyes briefly and just relishing in the sounds of the crashing waves. “The club in LA this month?” 
> 
> “Bobby…” This time he freezes, because that’s not Willie’s voice. 
> 
> \--
> 
> Or; Bobby finally reunites with his boys after twenty-five years apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, it took me a while to figure out how I wanted to end this fic, and that's why it took a little while to come but, here it is. This last chapter to this series. 
> 
> Some chapter notes for you:
> 
> 1) I don't really know how to write scenes with kissing and that stuff so I'm sorry in advance if it's bad. 
> 
> 2) I've watched episode 5, The Other Side of Hollywood and Caleb tells the boys that the club parties all over the world, so I assume that means it's like a tour thing where the club travels so when mentioned, that's what I'm talking about.

**March 26, 2020**

Bobby didn’t know what he was doing here. 

Not here as in the old house he lived in with Rose and Ray, but here as in a ghost. He’d been a ghost for twenty-three years and still, he didn’t know why he was here. 

He didn’t exactly have anything tying him to the world, no family, and only one friend. The only thing he enjoyed about being a ghost was Willie, who’d become a good friend of his over the years, though with him working at the club, they didn’t get to spend a lot of time together. 

He’d done everything he could have wanted to when he became a ghost. 

He watched over Ray and Rose, he watched them mourn and slowly move on, he watched them move into his old house like he’d wanted, he watched them get married and start a family in the place he’d felt the most loved, and he watched Rose die. 

He’d been with her and her family when she died in the hospital after her long fight with cancer, and he’d watched her move on. She’d lived her life to the most, and she had no reason to stay like he apparently had. 

It had devastated him, and watching her slowly die had been one of the worst experiences of his life, but he’s still so relieved she had lived that day of the crash, so she could live on to create a family with the man she loved, to create and teach music like she always wanted. 

He still checked in with the family when he was around their area, checking on how Ray was doing, how Julie and Carlos were getting on, though he had nothing that could help them, so he tended to not stick around long. 

He even checked in with the boy’s families, though he stopped with Alex’s after a year, and Reggie’s a few years after that. 

The Patterson’s though, he still checked in with them once every year in December, the day Luke ran away. He watches them mourn and remember their son, and in return he feels secure in his knowledge that they did love their son, no matter their disagreements. 

He even watches his bastard cousin who became famous on a legacy that wasn’t his, and he watches over his niece, Carrie, when he can. 

But mostly, he spends his time searching hopelessly for the boys he loves. 

At this point, he knows it’s pointless, if they had been around he would have found them in his twenty three years of being a ghost. After all, there was only so many places the boys could have been. 

So he wanders the world aimlessly, visiting different countries and learning different cultures, though he somehow always ends up back in LA, the place he called home, the place he loved and lost, and where he lost his own life. 

He’s long since realised he had a special ability, the one to summon his guitar to him and play it, something Willie told him was unique to few ghosts. He made sure the news never got back to Caleb, he’d never get out of the requests to join his club. 

He never writes new music, not since the CD he made for the boys, though he likes learning different songs. The way music had progressed since 1997 still baffles him sometimes, and he brushes up on his piano skills whenever he has a chance, though that’s hard. People seem to notice when their instruments play themselves. 

It gave Bobby great amusement the day he’d haunted Alex’s parents, or rather, his dad. 

He’d seen him in their home garage one day, and in the piles of junk were Alex’s old drums he outgrew. Using what little drum skills Alex had taught him, he played one of Alex’s favourite songs, freaking his father out so much that he ended up selling his house and moving him and his wife out, leaving the drums behind in the empty garage. 

Sighing, Bobby leans back on the old couch left behind, a puff of dust rising around him. 

This was his life now, empty houses and aimless wanderings. 

_What am I doing here,_ he wanders for the billionth time, _why am I still here?_

**September 19, 2020**

Tilting his head back, Bobby exhales deeply, feeling the salty breeze ruffle his hair. 

Sitting on his bench, the bench he first sat on when he met Willie, Bobby watches the ocean waves, and the way the sun lowers on the horizon. He feels relaxed, and calm for what seems like the first time in a long time. 

He hadn’t exactly given himself any time to himself, to just sit and observe instead of running himself crazy to find the impossible.

Giving himself that room to breathe, to just relax instead of stressing himself out with searching for Alex, Luke and Reggie. 

For the first time in years, he’s giving himself a break. 

In the back of his mind, he registers the sound of a ghost poofing into existence behind him, though he doesn’t turn around. It’s probably just Willie coming to talk to him, sometimes he shows up when he knows Bobby’s in the area and when he’s not travelling with Caleb and his club. 

“Bobby,” He hears Willie call behind him, though he still doesn’t turn around. He just sits there, the breeze ruffling his hair and Luke’s old flannel jacket, watching the waves and the people on the beach. 

“Hey Willie,” Bobby answers, closing his eyes briefly and just relishing in the sounds of the crashing waves. “The club in LA this month?” 

“Bobby,” Willie says again, his voice a bit more strained than normal. 

“I know, I know. I was meant to come see you last week but I just got a little caught up –“ Bobby starts to explain, still facing the ocean. Willie will sit down once he apologizes for not going to see him. 

“Bobby…” This time he freezes, because that’s not Willie’s voice. 

Heart in his throat and his eyes already stinging, Bobby whirls around with a shaky breath, hoping with all his might that he’s not starting to hallucinate because standing next to Willie, with teary eyes and expressions of hope are Luke, Alex, and Reggie. 

“Bobby.” Reggie repeats, slowly stepping forward. Bobby vaguely notices that his whole body has started shaking, though when he sees Reggie’s hands are also shaking a little, he worries a little less. 

In the background, he notices Alex and Luke are clutching one another, crying in each other’s arms. 

Reggie’s reached him now, standing a breath away. Bobby’s full-on crying right now, tears streaming down his face in steady streams. “Reggie?” He croaks, and his heart soars at the breathy laugh Reggie replies with. 

“Yeah, it’s me.” Reggie whispers, reaching a hand up slowly to trace the side of Bobby’s cheek gently. 

“Reggie.” Bobby can’t help but fall into him with a sob at the touch, shaking badly but managing to bring his arms up to wrap around Reggie’s leather-bound shoulders. Reggie’s own arms curl around his back, soothing him while Bobby cries his heart out into his neck, the smell of the beach and leather tickling his nose with its familiarity. 

Pulling back, Reggie caresses his cheeks, wiping the trails of tears. “Hey, shh, it’s okay.” He croons gently, rocking them in the way Bobby used to when he was comforting them. 

Looking over Reggie’s shoulder, Bobby spots Luke and Alex watching with yearning expressions, holding hands but clearly wanting to join in. 

Pulling back a little more from Reggie, Bobby opens his arms and Luke wastes no time, launching himself forward into Bobby’s arms, sobbing loudly into his ear. 

“B-Bobby.” He whimpered as Bobby brought his still shaking hand up to bury it in Luke’s wild brown curls. Luke burrows his head in Bobby’s neck, soaking it with his tears. 

Reggie moves back a little more to allow Bobby to wrap both arms around Luke, still cradling the back of his head as he gasps his name. “Luke. Luke.” 

Luke pulls back and Bobby cups his cheeks with both hands, caressing his cheekbones and looking into his watery blue eyes. “It’s you. It’s really you.” Bobby gasps, laughing wetly in his joy. 

Luke’s nodding frantically, the tears still falling from his eyes when Bobby feels a shadow cast over him, looking up to find Alex standing beside them, eyes wet and wide, biting his lip hopefully. 

Releasing Luke, who moves over to fold into Reggie’s arms, Bobby barely has a second to brace himself before he’s being pulled into Alex’s arms, his head tucked into Alex’s neck. 

Bobby’s still crying, clutching the back of Alex’s hoodie as Alex sniffles into his hair, soothing the windblown locks. Pulling back to rest his forehead against Alex’s, Bobby gives a laugh that morphs in a sob. “You’re here,” He cries, hiccupping after a breath. “Oh god. You’re here, I missed you so much.” 

Out the corner of his eye, he notices Willie poofing away with a smile on his face, though his attention quickly diverts back to Alex. 

Alex who cups his face, resting his forehead against Bobby’s, barely a breath away as their lips brush. Bobby sucks in a breath as Alex open’s his eyes to look down at him, bright blue and so, so loving. 

“Kiss me.” Bobby gasps, gripping the front of Alex’s hoodie. The blond drummer smiles briefly, before dipping down to press their lips together gently. 

Bobby’s eyes flutter shut at the soft pressure, before he surges up urgently against Alex, pressing their lips together more firmly. Bobby’s breath trembles when Alex softly parts his lips with his own, soothing over them with his tongue. They kiss for a few more seconds, not urgently but passionately before pulling away, still holding each other close. 

And Bobby smiles, because this is what he’s been looking for since 1995. 

Kissing Alex is all he imagines it would be, soft and sweet and everything he could have ever wanted. 

Softly rubbing his nose against Bobby’s in a loving gesture, Alex pulls back to allow Luke to slot himself back into his arms. Luke reaches up to wrap his arms around Bobby’s neck, smiling joyfully up at him, those blue eyes of his so bright and blue. 

Leaning down slowly, Bobby waits for Luke to signal to stop. Which he doesn’t get because Luke presses forward impatiently with a whine, slotting his lips against Bobby’s in an urgent kiss. It makes Bobby laugh against his lips. 

The way Luke kisses reminds him of the way Luke lives, wild and passionate. It’s not slow, but it’s also not messy or clumsy. It’s the way you’d kiss someone you love, and the thought makes Bobby grip Luke’s hips more firmly, softly biting his bottom lip and smoothing it over at the moan Luke releases. 

Pulling back with a soft smile, Bobby caresses the smooth skin over Luke’s slight exposed hips. “I’ve missed you.” He whispers, kissing his forehead gently. 

“I missed you too Bobbers.” Luke teases, smiling in the way he does when he’s ridiculously overjoyed. 

“I still hate that nickname.” Bobby laughs a little wetly. He’d deal with that nickname for the rest of eternity if it meant Luke was there to say it. 

“What about me?” Reggie interrupts smoothly, though Bobby notices the nervousness in his voice. 

Letting go of Luke and striding towards Reggie, Bobby smiles as he throws his arms around him. “I’d never forget about you Reg.”

“Can I kiss you?” Bobby asks in a parallel to their first kiss. Smiling widely, Reggie nods and leans up as Bobby leans down. 

Kissing Reggie is a vaguely familiar feeling, and Bobby leans into it. Giving his all into the kiss, trying to wordlessly communicate how much he wants this. 

And Reggie seems to understand, kissing Bobby back just as firmly, just as lovingly. As their lips glide gently together, Reggie prods Bobby’s with his tongue briefly, leaving Bobby to gasp at the feeling as his lips fall open for Reggie’s. 

Kissing Reggie is like coming home, and Bobby never wants to leave again. 

They both pull back and just hold each other. Though they’re missing a half of them so they pull back more for Luke and Alex.

Luke reaches for Alex and pulls him into a group hug on Bobby’s left as he and Reggie move to accommodate them. Alex sighs, false exasperation before smiling and reaching to grip Reggie’s shoulder. 

“I love you, all of you, so fucking much.” Bobby sniffles, crying a little at his overwhelming emotions. He feels happy, and in love, and confused but mostly just overjoyed. “I’m in love with you, I have been for years.” 

“We love you too.” Alex cries, moving in closer. “We all do, and when we’ve calmed down, we’re gonna have a long talk about everything. I promise.” He swears, his eyes intense and loving. Bobby nods, just leaning into the loving gestures. 

“I missed you all, so much. It’s been twenty-five years, I’d hoped but I never actually thought I’d see you again.” Bobby sniffles, leaning his head against Reggie’s and pulling Luke and Alex closer, if that’s even possible. 

“I’m sorry it took us a while longer to get here.” Alex apologises unnecessarily, reaching over Luke to rest his hand on Bobby’s neck. 

“Just don’t ever leave me again.” Bobby huffs, even thinking about losing them again make’s him hurt, and unfortunately, it’s a hurt he’ll recognise. 

“Never again.” Luke promises, looking up at him and smiling like he’s ready to stop the world for him. 

And they stay like that for what could be minutes or hours, just holding each other and basking in the feeling of being together again as the world falls dark around them, the sun finally set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who stuck with me for my first fic and now my second, I loved your comments and it inspired me to continue my series one more time. 
> 
> I'll be coming out with the last of this series, a one-chapter fic of Bobby, Luke, Alex, and Reggie. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, please leave a comment or a kudos if you wish.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for your support, I hope you liked this fic and if you did, please leave a comment or a kudos. 
> 
> Thank you so much :)


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